Given the acceleration of change, it is clear that predicting the future has become more difficult than ever. If we try to look ahead more than a few years, the vision becomes cloudy and no one really knows what to expect. In our own technological society, predicting the future has been done mostly by those who are a part of the science fiction genre, including scientists, writers, and artists. Their visions fall in between two sides: optimism and pessimism. The optimists believe that progress, fueled by scientific research, will continue to make our life better, while the pessimists believe that problems are made by humanity itself, and that science can only make them worse. An example of this view is Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's novel, Frankenstein. The scientist Frankenstein, in his investigations of life and death, creates a monster which he cannot control. The monster escapes and, after destroying the surroundings, it finally comes back to destroy its creator. This shows that the universe of technology that we currently living is both good and bad. It benefits society, but at the same time it hinders it. The videophone has begun to effect society significantly and will continue to do so in the future. This new invention will cause individuals from all around the world to communicate efficiently and comfortably. As a reasonably affordable item, many members of society can purchase a videophone and benefit from the visual and vocal communication it provides. Society will become closer than ever before as a result of the invention of the videophone because it allows individuals to communicate with others half way around the world as if they are standing right next to them. As a result, the many cultures and societies around the world can become more knowledgeable through visually communicating with them.
The videophone provides a significant advantage to a certain group in our society - the deaf! As previously discussed in the "videophone and business" section, the videophone has benefited the deaf in great ways! Originally being unable to communicate on a telephone, the deaf can finally benefit from a telephone. Since the videophone allows one to see whom they are speaking with, a deaf person can speak to another individual through sign language. This decreases the gap that society has for the disadvantaged because it allows them to have equal opportunities as others.
Although the videophone provides a lot of positive aspects to society, there are also negative areas on the invention. A significant negative area is the current war occurring in the Middle East. The goal of the United States is to capture Osama Bin Laden yet they have not been able to do so. However, Bin Laden has been able to contact the United States through the videophone and prove to them that he is alive and well despite the fact that everything around him is not. This can cause many disputes between countries around the world because of the "taunting" that can occur through using the videophone.
Overall, the videophone has both positive and negative effects on society. It helps in many situations and makes life easier, however, in others it causes tension and/or frustration. Part of this may be caused by the fact that the videophone is still foreign in a way to modern society. Just like any other invention, the videophone needs time to develop and change so that it may become nothing but a friend to society and help all who are a part of it.
